As the Lanterns Glow
by HikariOni22
Summary: [MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE MAIN STORYLINE] "All of this. This victory. We absolutely couldn't have done it without you." A story of gratitude.


She'd given him a weird look when he'd asked her to come up to the surface because he 'needed to talk to her'. She hadn't asked him why, though, only looked at him, stared him in the eyes, and it'd made him feel like she could already tell what he wanted to talk about.

They'd walked in silence up the stairs, their gazes averting themselves from the blood splatters on the walls. He hated it with his very being, but every time his boots shuffled on these steps he recognized with utmost certainty the spot where Glory had died.

He felt a shift behind him with her slight flinch. He never doubted she did too.

They emerged from the Old Church and into the crisp night air. He turned around to face her as she got her lighter out and lit herself a cigarette. Even as she did so, her stare never left him, and he found himself looking into her eyes.

"So, what is it?"

She took a long drag of her cigarette, blowing the smoke up in the air, but never stopped looking at him. He gave an apologetic smile.

"I've been wanting to say this for a while. And I know we're not supposed to know this; I know I'm supposed to pretend, but... Thank you for covering up for me about Patriot's... fate."

Her expression remained as she was: unchanging. Not a spark passed in her eye, and she simply took a second drag of her cigarette quietly.

He could've added much more, but he emulated her silence. They stood there and stared into each other's eyes without a word. He would wait for her, in this and all else.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked.

He gave an apologetic smile.

"You don't usually cover up for people. Especially not regarding the Institute. You could've told people why... how Liam died. But you didn't."

His pupils remained still, but there was suddenly a glassiness in his eyes.

"You covered up my shame. Left it for me to hide... And I'm grateful for that."

She blew some smoke at the wind as she crossed her arms over her chest. She never broke their locked gazes.

"What makes you think I didn't do this to honour him as a hero, instead of the misguided, naïve kid he was? He helped save many synths. The way he died... It would've ruined the image most of them have of him."

She was a convincing liar, but she knew just as well as he did that she hid behind those words the exact opposite meaning. The tone of her voice betrayed it; so did the so very slight smile on her lips. She wasn't even trying to cover it.

It's like they spoke in code. Well, she did, mostly, but he understood every bit of it.

"I appreciate it," he spoke in an understanding tone.

She looked at him while taking a last drag of her cigarette. She dropped it to the floor and crushed the ashes under her heel. The vague nod she gave invited him to go back in.

"I'm not done yet. There's also something else."

There was no hesitation in his eyes, but he let a slight silence stretch out. She moved back into position, her entire self focused on him.

"I know I could – and should, maybe – take Shaun to one of my settlements. But, honestly, there's no one in the world I trust more to protect him. So, thank you for taking care of him."

He poured in his smile all of the gratitude he felt. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, and in her irises shone a spark of surprise. It quickly melted into the same gratfulness he showed.

She closed the gap between them in a single step. Her hand hovered over his shoulder before she wrapped her arms around his neck. As her face passed his to nuzzle in the space between his shoulder and neck, he felt her breath on his lips and almost wished she'd stop right there.

He held her waist and closed their embrace. Her fingers ran through the hair at the back of his head, sending warm shivers down his spine.

Desdemona was not a woman who whispered. But then, just then, she breathed the next words as if they were too strong to be said out loud.

"Thank you."


End file.
